EU funds German LNG fueling project

A project aimed at developing infrastructure for distribution of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for trucks and inland waterway vessels in Germany has received backing from the European Union.

Berlin-based Liquind 24/7 said in a statement last week it would start building ten LNG stations after it had been granted about 3.3 million euros ($4.03m) from the EU Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding program.

In total, the project that is expected to “significantly” improve the LNG distribution network in Germany and offer an alternative fuel to diesel will cost about 16.4 million euros ($20m), the statement said.

This LNG infrastructure consists of multimodal distribution terminals at inland ports and refueling stations for trucks and inland waterway vessels.

According to Liquind, new terminals are being built along important European transport corridors, including in the metropolitan areas of Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt and along Germany’s most important waterways.

The refueling stations and cargo handling hubs in Duisburg and Mannheim, which are already being planned, are expected to start operating at the end of 2018, the statement said.

Germany, which has ambitious carbon reduction targets, has been lately boosting its efforts to promote LNG as fuel.

To remind, the country’s Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure announced last year a stimulus programme under which Germany would subsidize the conversion and newbuild construction of ocean-going vessels to LNG as fuel.

German car manufacturing giants Volkswagen Group and BMW are also among those involved in LNG fueling developments.

Last but not least, Dutch companies Gasunie and Vopak and Germany’s Oiltanking are planning to build Germany’s first LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel. This facility would also include LNG fueling infrastructure.

LNG World News Staff